Quid Pro Quo
by TG2
Summary: H/R. Happens sometime during the 8th series, I assume all events from the 7th series were resolved
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Spooks belongs to Kudos and the BBC  
Happens sometime during the 8th series, I assume all the events from the end of the 7th series were already resloved, may contain spoilers to all existing Spooks series.  
**

**Thanks to DeskSpook for the Beta**

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Monday morning in central London, a girl was sitting on the edge of her a bed inside a small hotel room getting ready for her big day, this was the first part of their grand plan and everything had to go exactly as planned, a thought that didn't really help her relax.

Once the shaking was under control she finished putting on her rollerblades, gloves and cap, got up and rolled over to the mirror. She gave a weak smile to her reflection and then covered her brown eyes with sun glasses, browsed through her IPod for the perfect song, decided that Queen's "The Invisible Man" should be very appropriate, took a deep breath, whispered "Here goes nothing" and was off.

-------

Harry was taking his dog for her morning walk through the park, leash in one hand coffee cup on the other. No matter how hard he tried to ignore it today's date kept creeping into his thoughts; this day three years ago he was almost a happy man, was so close to getting through to her, before they took her away from him forever. The memory of their first and last kiss was as vivid to him as it was the day she left, and as painful. He knew she had asked him to let her go, and he had tried so hard to do that, but he was so worried about her, always wondering where she was, what she was doing, was she happy-

Harry was so engulfed in his self torment he almost didn't hear the girl shouting at him to look out before she collided into him at top rollerblading speed. He stumbled backwards, spilling his coffee along the way as the girl crashed into the road behind him.

"Oh god! I'm so sorry," she said as she stood up, shaking "I'm kind off new to this and don't know how to stop properly yet"

"No, its fine, I should have paid more attention to what was going on around me," Harry mumbled, still in shock from being pulled so abruptly from his thoughts. "Are you all right?" He looked at the girl as she was scanning for bruises, trying to read her expression beneath the cap and behind the sunglasses.

"Everything seems in working order," She smiled at him, "Oh no, your shirt!" her smile went away when she noticed the big coffee stain on his white shirt."Let me pay for that," she reached for her wallet, took out a 10 Pound note and handed it to him.

"No, really, there's no need for that," Harry protested," and that's way too much…" but the girl pushed the note into his hand and said softly: "No, I insist"

Harry started to protest again but the girl was already rollerblading away from him, way too fast for the beginner she claimed she was.

He stood there staring at the 10 Pound note, a weird and sick feeling started to form in his stomach, as a familiar and distant voice echoed in his head: "It had the feel of a classic drop, Harry"

-----

"My my, oh my!" Malcolm was saying excitedly just as Harry came through the pods, shirt replaced and the note burning a hole in his coat pocket.

"Why is Malcolm drooling?" he asked Jo as she passed him by.

"Something about a hacker gone missing, don't really know the details, better ask him," she answered and continued to her desk.

"Might as well do that," Harry thought and went over to Malcolm's station.

"Anything interesting?" he asked.

"Griffin!" Malcolm exclaimed in awe.

"As in the mythical creature?" Harry was a bit confused.

"As in the legendary hacker". Harry's expression signaled to Malcolm that more explanation was due so he continued, typing an address in his web browser as he spoke: "Griffin is one of the most famous hackers in the last decade. He managed to crack into almost every computer system existing, including some of ours. The interesting thing about him is that he never really caused any damage, most of the time he just left his calling card behind and sometimes, if he was feeling generous, he left some advice as to how to close the security holes he came through," Malcolm turned his screen towards Harry, "This is his calling card," he pointed at the image on the screen, which depicted a Griffin in a playful stance, biting its own tail, "For a long time nobody knew who he was or where he was working from, but you surely understand that every intelligence agency on the face of the earth wanted to be the first to find him"

"I'm guessing their agenda wasn't making him stop hacking and pay for his crimes?" Harry interrupted

"Hell no, a talent like this is too valuable an asset to waste in prison, they all wish they could somehow turn him and use him as their own pet hacker"

"So why all the excitement now?"

"A few months ago he went underground, nobody knows for sure why, but the rumor is that some agency figured out who he was and he decided to make a run for it and disappear, not before braking into a Chinese bank, steeling a small fortune and leaving a very apologetic letter behind. There was nothing much since then, but this morning I received this in my secure email box" Malcolm navigated to a new page, showing Harry another picture of the Griffin, this time with the English flag in the background, "I haven't been able to track the source yet".

"Well, see what you can find out about this, I'm guessing that if it was Griffin who sent you this he had a good reason, also try and find out how he knew who to send this to" Harry said.

"Will do," Malcolm smiled and turned back to his computer.

"Malcolm," Harry hesitantly reached for the note in his pocket, "Could you please take a look at this for me, discreetly?" He handed him the note, Malcolm looked at it with a worried expression, remembering the last time he was asked to look at a tenner.

"Is everything OK? He asked. "Yes, nothing to worry about," Harry replied and turned towards his office, very worried.

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That evening Harry was being driven back home with the 10 Pound note safely back in his pocket. Of course Malcolm wasn't able to find anything on the note, or on his mysterious hacker for that matter. Harry was starting to think that maybe there really wasn't any drop, that it was just the date combined with this morning's events that made him paranoid.

He was just about to let this whole matter go when a figure in the bus stop, her bus stop, caught his eye as he was looking through the car window. It was too dark to see anything more then a silhouette, but it was of a slender woman with shoulder length hair and a long skirt. "Stop the car!" He shouted to his startled driver who immediately brought the car to a screeching halt.

Harry jumped out of the car and ran to the bus stop, which was empty by the time he got there. He looked around breathlessly and immediately saw the flyer, stuck to the timetable board:

"The Stubborn Mule is celebrating three years and you are invited to party with us with one of our notorious Karaoke nights!" underneath the message was a picture of a mule kicking a barrel. Bellow the picture was an address, today's date and: "Entry fee 10 Pounds".

Harry's thoughts that this was all a coincidence withered away as he went back to the car and gave his driver the address of The Stubborn Mule.

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**To be continued....  
Please review :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all for your very kind reviews and especially for DeskSpook for Betaing once again**

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Even though Malcolm assured Harry that there was no, and never had been, a place called The Stubborn Mule in London, Harry just stood in front of it, the sign said "est. 2006" and it seemed packed with patrons. He wondered who had the funds to create such a front.

After long deliberations with himself he decided that going inside with no backup would be very foolish but, on the other hand, he didn't feel ready to share his day with his entire team and so he decided to call Malcolm again, briefed him on the situation and asked him to come over and keep watch from a distance.

Once Harry got the signal from Malcolm that he was around he took a deep breath and stepped through the door.

----

She was looking at her reflection in the Ladies room mirror, taking deep and steady breaths.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Asked the waitress that stood next to her "There is still time to cancel the whole thing, there are other, safer ways to make contact"

"No, I think this is the best way to do it, I wouldn't know what to say to him anyway, for now I just want him to know I'm alive" Ruth gave a tired smile and turned back from the mirror, "How do I look?"

"Like someone who is just about to rise from her grave," The waitress said and gave Ruth a reassuring smile. She opened the door and looked into the packed bar and spotted Harry coming in.

"It's show time. Good luck up there." She gave Ruth a hug and then went outside.

----

When Harry got into the bar there was an apparently drunk couple on the stage, singing "Don't go breaking my heart" in a way that would make Elton John cringe and deny he ever performed this song. He was shown to a dark corner table with a clear view to the stage. As he sat down he spotted Malcolm a few tables away from him, already with a pint on the table and checking out the available songs list, Harry hoped to god that he didn't intend on actually singing tonight.

After the couple was done singing and got off the stage the announcer said: "And now let's give a warm applaud to our next brave singer, Rachel Evergreen which is going to sing "Bar Italia" for us. Good luck Rachel!"

Harry was busy scanning through the bar, looking for suspicious faces in the crowd when he heard a glass shatter. He turned his gaze towards the noise to see Malcolm's pint glass on the floor as Malcolm was staring open mouthed at the person now standing on the stage.

Harry turned his attention towards Malcolm's source of disturbance just as she was starting to hesitantly sing:

"Now if you can stand,

I would like to take you by the hand,

And go for a walk,

Past people as they go to work"

His heart was racing so fast he could hardly breathe. It was her, a bit thinner and looking very exhausted, but definitely her. For a few moments he could do nothing but stare at her.

"Let's get out of this place,  
Before they tell us that we've just died

Move, move quick, you've gotta move.

Come on it's through, come on it's time"

It sounded like she was starting to gain some confidence. Harry, on the other hand, didn't really know what to do. She wasn't looking at him and it seemed that she was unaware of his presence. A quick glance towards Malcolm told him that he was gaining his composure and Harry gave him a sign to stay down and do nothing. He decided to try and listen to what she was singing.

"Oh look at you,  
You're looking so confused,  
Just what did you lose?"

Harry knew the answer to this question.

"If you can make an order could you get me one?

Two sugars would be great,

Cos I'm fading fast,

And it's nearly dawn"

"She's good, isn't she?" Harry hardly noticed the waitress that was now standing next to him.

"She…reminds me of someone I once knew," He said quietly, his attention still fixed on the stage.

The waitress came around to the other side of his table and leaned on it, opening her pad as if to take his order. Harry looked at her and started to say: "Thanks, I don't need anything" when he saw her face; even though this morning she was wearing a cap and sunglasses there was no mistaking this was the same girl.

"I see I got your attention, good," she gave him a wry smile.

"Who…" Harry started

"No time for that now, I assure you I'm a friend", she looked around and then continued, "There will be time for explanations soon, all I can tell you now is that you shouldn't try and talk to her in any way, it's not safe yet. She's taking a huge risk just being at the same place as you"

"But…" Harry started to protest, although he knew she was right, if anyone knew Ruth was still alive the witch hunt after her would start all over again.

"Look, I have something that will help bring her back and clear her name, but I need your help in something firs…"

She stopped in mid sentence as something changed in Ruth's tone and it became more urgent:

"Move, move quick, you've gotta move.

Come on it's through, come on it's time"

Harry noticed that with the hand holding the microphone Ruth was pointing at something. The girl followed the finger and took a quick breath.

"Shit! I really have to run," She started to turn away from his table, and then as if remembering something turned back and told him quietly: "That friend she reminds you of? I think tomorrow after sunset would be a great time to pay your respects"

And with that she walked away from his table and into the kitchen. Harry noticed two men getting up from their tables, one of them slipped into the kitchen after her, the other left through the main entrance.

Only now Harry noticed that Ruth finished her song and was off the stage. He looked around but she was nowhere to be seen. He then exchanged confused looks with Malcolm, and ordered a much needed malt.

----

Harry was up all night, tossing and turning in his bed, trying to make sense of what happened. When he came into the Grid the next morning he already decided that the first thing to do was to track the girl down, it seemed that she was his connection to Ruth right now.

He walked towards Malcolm's station, but before he could open his mouth Malcolm said: "I'm already on it; I created a sketch of the waitress and ran her through the face matching program"

"And?" Harry asked impatiently.

"It's the darndest thing," Malcolm said as he pulled a few papers from the printer, giving them to Harry, "I got multiple results, 12 to be exact."

Harry was staring down at the papers; the girl's face was on each one of them. On each one she had a different name, a different address and a completely different history.

"It's as if she's…" Malcolm started

"A spook?" Harry wasn't happy at all.

----

Ruth was staring down at the tombstone, feeling a chill run through her spine. Even though she'd been in London several times since her alleged death she never had the nerve to visit her own grave, it felt somewhat perverse to her. The tombstone itself was a very simple one, with just her name and dates of birth and death. The grave itself was located at a far away corner of the cemetery; "Well, I am a murderous traitor," she thought bitterly.

"He'll be here soon," The girl next to her said, "I'll give you the signal once he's ready"

Ruth nodded quietly and walked into the small grove that was adjacent to the cemetery.

----

Harry came into the cemetery and walked towards her grave. He remembered how he fought to get her a decent funeral; Even though it wasn't her body they put into that grave it broke his heart knowing that despite the sacrifice she'd made for him she will be remembered as a traitor to the rest of the world.

He couldn't help but feel disappointed when he saw that the lonely figure standing above the grave wasn't Ruth. He stood next to her, only now noticing how short she was. They stood in silence for a few moments until he decided to take the lead for once.

"I see you managed to shake off whoever was after you last night"

"For now, yes."

"Before we go any further, I need to know who you are."

"Fine," she sighed, "I guess you deserve that much."

She took her coat off, and turned her back to him, pulling down her shirt collar and exposing her right shoulder blade. Harry looked at the tattoo she had there and all he managed to say was: "Oh"

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**Things will become clearer in the next chapter, I promise.**

**The song is "Bar Italia" by Pulp.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks again for all the reviews and to my loyal beta reader :)**

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Harry was staring at the tattoo; it was similar to the picture Malcolm showed him the day before - a Griffin in a playful stance, biting its own tail.

"You're Griffin?" He couldn't help the skeptical tone.

"No, I'm just a die hard fan," She answered cynically, "Of course I'm Griffin! But you can call me Sharon," She gave him the sweetest fake smile he had ever seen.

Harry himself was surprised by what he did next – he started laughing. When he saw Sharon's confused stare he explained between laughter bursts: "I can just imagine Malcolm's expression when he finds out that his favorite hacker is a girl."

"You'd be surprised at how helpful that kind of chauvinism is when you're trying to keep your identity a secret," Sharon mumbled angrily.

Harry wiped the tears from his eyes, the laughter actually made him feel a bit better, but then he remembered why he was here; "How did Ruth get involved with a gone-underground hacker?"

Sharon looked confused for a second but then smiled, "Oh, you mean Rachel. It was somewhat of an accident. You probably already know about my reputation, well I must clarify that hacking was never more then a hobby for me, that's why I never caused any damage, it was more of a "Because I can" kind of thing. The problem was that I wasn't aware of the kind of attention I was drawing to myself and I also became too cocky for my own good and took on every challenge I was offered. Somebody took advantage of that and set me a trap – they gave me an opening into a classified system I couldn't resist and that way tracked down where I was working from. I figured out what was going on and pulled out, but it was too late, so I made a run for it."

"Who were they?" Harry asked.

"I don't really know, but no matter how hard I try I can't seem to be able to shake them off for too long"

"I still don't see what Ruth has got to do with this," He sounded a bit impatient.

"Well, there's an underground network called Casper, they help people that want to disappear, nobody knows much about them or who, if anyone, manages them. They work internationally mainly through the internet, most of the members only know the person who brought them into the network and the people they themselves brought in. They are kind of the spooks' spooks. After I was discovered I managed to make contact with someone inside the network and they sent me to Rachel, aka Ruth"

"Ruth was working for this Casper network?" Harry couldn't believe that.

"Yep, you'd have to ask her how she got there. But you see, at first she was the one who was supposed to help me; it was by mistake that we discovered that I have something that can help her"

_----_

_Four months earlier, Casper safe house, Berlin_

Ruth was setting the dinner table when she heard the faint knock. She put down the two plates she was holding and went to open the door. Outside stood a short red headed girl in her mid twenties; "You must be Sharon," Ruth smiled and the girl nodded quietly, "I'm Rachel, come in, you're just in time for dinner".

The girl gave a quick look behind her and then came in, quickly shutting the door behind her. "Sorry, I think I shook them off at the train station, I did everything you told me to do on the phone, but…"

"It's fine," Ruth said, "I didn't see anybody in the street, I think you're safe for now, and we'll make sure it will stay that way." She gave her a reassuring squeeze on the arm and guided her towards the kitchen.

During dinner Ruth was studying the girl, who was mostly staring silently at her full plate. John didn't tell her much about her but, like most of the people that came through her house over the last couple of years, Ruth would help her get a new identity while killing off the old one, and then she would leave forever, not staying long enough to make any meaningful connection. She sometimes felt like the ferryman Charon – responsible for transporting souls across the river separating the world of the living from the world of the dead, but always staying between the worlds herself, unable to move on or let go of her old life. She shook off her morbid thoughts when the girl asked her something.

"Sorry?"

"I asked, do I get to choose how you kill me off?" She now noticed that Sharon actually looked amused.

"Well, what did you have in mind?" Ruth smiled deciding to enjoy the company while she could.

"Hmmmm," Sharon thought out loud, "I want something to make my mom proud while being ironic and making my friends laugh at the same time"

"What about being eaten alive by a bear while trying to save a group of nuns?"

Sharon laughed out loud, and Ruth joined her.

A few days later everything was ready – Sharon had a brand new passport, with a couple of backup ones in her backpack, along with a picture from her funeral back home Ruth had found on the internet, and a plane ticket to Dublin. The two women ate their last dinner together, both feeling a bit sad about having to say goodbye.

"Here's to Emma Barnwell, the best software engineer Dublin has ever known," Ruth raised her glass of white whine and Sharon mirrored the gesture and said: "And here's to you Rachel, for finding a way to be a serial killer without actually killing anybody," Ruth laughed as they clashed their glasses and gulped down the wine.

By the time dinner was over they had finished a whole bottle between them and Ruth was beyond tipsy, she stared at the empty bottle and whispered quietly: "White Burgundy, Thermobaric bombs, quite a species, aren't we Harry?"

Sharon raised her head from the other side of the table, and noticed the tears that were now falling from Rachel's eyes. "Are you ok?" she asked.

"Oh, I'm just homesick," Ruth replied, "but I'm Fox, and being Fox, I can never go back home"

"Fox?" Sharon shook her head, trying to clear the fog from her mind.

"Well, no, actually I'm not Fox, but Special branch thinks I am, and they think that there was a Fox at the meeting, and therefore they think I was at the meeting"

At this point Sharon decided it was time for both of them to go to bed; she helped Ruth to her room, and then went to her own bed. The words Fox and Special branch kept nagging at some distant memory in her brain, but it was already morning when she finally managed to get to it.

She got up from her bed and quietly knocked on Ruth's door. "Rachel, are you awake?"

She decided that the moan she got as a reply was close enough to a yes and opened the door. Ruth was still in her bed, looking very miserable.

"Ummm, Rachel, about last night…" she said hesitantly while seating at the edge of the bed.

"Oh god, I didn't say anything offensive, did I?" Ruth looked terrified.

"Offensive, no, "Sharon smiled, "But you did say something that reminded me of something I stumbled upon during one of my, um, expeditions into Special branch systems"

The thought that she might have blurted something about her past or about MI5 made Ruth look even more terrified, "OK, this is very important, what exactly did I say"

"Relax, you weren't coherent enough for me to understand anything, but you did say something about Fox and Special branch and a meeting, and well, that something I found was a deleted recording of a meeting protocol, stating that Fox was not present"

"Dear lord," Ruth was now completely awake, this was the opportunity she'd been waiting for, "can you get to this file again?"

"Sure, I actually saved it, I just need the equipment to get to it," Sharon smiled, smelling a new challenge.

----

"After that Ruth explained to me how this recording could help her get back home and we decided that I should stay a bit longer to try and get it for her. A few days later we were chased out of the safe house when the people who are after me somehow found out that I was there. That was when Ruth suggested that we should come to London and get help from the experts"

Sharon gave Harry a few moments to digest what he just heard and then said: "The bottom line is that I need your help to shake off whoever is after me and you need my help to clear Rache.. I mean Ruth's name"

"How do I know I can trust you?" Harry asked silently.

"Maybe this will help," Sharon sighed, "You have ten minutes"

She then put on her earphones, turned on her IPod and walked away; a few moments later he saw someone standing at the edge of the grove, it was Ruth.

----

Harry walked slowly towards her, stopping a few feet away. They were silent for a few moments studying each other, making mental notes of what had changed and what had stayed the same. There was so much he wanted to tell her about - the longing, the guilt, the anger, the loneliness, the dreams of her coming back, the nightmares of something happening to her, but, in the end, all he managed to say was one word: "Ruth…"

A ghost of a smile appeared on her face, "It's been so long since someone called me that," she said.

He smiled at her, it was one of his gentle smiles, she wondered if anyone else had received those smiles while she was gone.

They fell silent again.

"My cats?" She asked, trying for a relatively safe topic.

"They're fine. Giving Scarlet hell though"

"I bet they do," She smiled for real this time, the smile went away when she said: "I know about Adam and Zaf"

"How…?" Harry started to ask but then stopped when she shook her head, as if to say that some things are better left unasked. Instead he decided to get a bit closer, when he was at arms reach he finally whispered, "I missed you Ruth"

"Harry, I…" The tears in her eyes were too much for him to bear and he made the final step towards her and took her into his arms. As they stood there, holding each other, she noticed that he was crying too.

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**Did you know? every time you press the review button, a fairy gets her wings ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

**I decided it was time to bring in the team :)**

**Thanks again to Deskspook for looking over my grammar**

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Ruth was the first one to pull away, she took a step back and smiled, "So much for self control," She said

"Living in self denial for too long will do that," Harry looked a bit embarrassed as he quickly wiped away his tears. After he regained his composure he looked at her and somberly asked: "Ruth, how did you get involved in this? What is this Casper network?"

"I don't have the time to give you the full version right now," Ruth sighed, "Let's just say that for a while I tried to live a normal life, be an ordinary citizen for a change, and let go of my past. It didn't work Harry, it seems that ordinary is not something I can do anymore." She gave a bitter laugh; "The bottom line is I was bored, and I missed my old life, I missed my job and I wanted them back. One of Zaf's people that helped me leave London, John, was a member of the Casper network, he wanted me to join them back then, at first I refused but, when I realized that it was the closest thing to Section D I could ever have, I contacted him again and joined Casper. It wasn't a perfect solution but it kept me busy."

She guessed what Harry wanted to ask by the look on his face, "John knew what kind of people I agreed to work with, so there was never really any conflict of conscience," she reassured him, "I didn't ask John too many questions about the Casper network itself, to be completely honest I didn't care to know"

Harry started to ask his next question when he was interrupted by a silent cough behind him. "Time's up, we need to go," Sharon said gently.

Ruth nodded in agreement and looked at Harry, "We'll make contact some time tomorrow, in the mean time I need you to find out who's after Sharon, use these," she handed him a set of photographs, Harry recognized the two men that went after Sharon in The Stubborn Mule.

"Wait," he wasn't ready to see her go yet, "Where are you staying?"

"I can't tell you that, " she saw his hurt expression and explained, "It's not that I don't trust you Harry, you know I do, with my life, but both Sharon and I are supposed to be dead, and I think that for now it would be best if we stayed that way."

Even though he knew she was right he couldn't live with the thought of not knowing where she was again, "Let me put you two in one of our safe houses, nobody will know you are there."

"Ruth, we really need to go," Sharon said while looking around nervously

"I'm sorry Harry, but we need to stay under the radar for now," she gave him a quick hug and whispered in his ear, "You'll see me again soon, don't worry"

And then both women went into the grove and disappeared.

------

Malcolm rushed to Harry the moment he saw him walking through the pods, "Well? How is she? What's going on?" he asked impatiently.

"Gather the team," was all the answer he got as Harry walked towards his office and closed the door behind him.

5 minutes later in the meeting room Harry looked at his team's questioning looks, "Before I give you all the information I want to make something perfectly clear: This is an off the books, unauthorized operation. If any of you have a problem with that leave now, after that there will be no talking about this to anyone outside this room. Any problems should be reported to me and me only."

"What?" Ros protested when she noticed Harry was looking straight at her.

"Now's your chance to leave," Harry ignored her and looked at the team as they all kept to their seats.

"Good," he smiled and without wasting any more time he said, "Ruth is back and she needs our help."

"You knew about this, didn't you?" Jo looked at Malcolm, "That's why you were on edge all day."

Malcolm shrugged and gave her an apologetic look, "Sorry, I was under strict instructions not to say anything," he then addressed Lucas' confused looks, "Ruth Evershed, she used to work here, I'll explain later."

After telling the team about the events of the last two days Harry gave them each their mission. "Malcolm, try to find out who is after Sharon, " he handed him the pictures Ruth gave him, "Jo, I want you to find out anything you can about this Casper network, the fact that I have never heard a whisper of them means that you will need to dig deep. Ros, I need you and Lucas to track Ruth down," he looked embarrassed when he continued, "I planted a tracker on her when we met at the cemetery, see where it leads you, keep your distance, I just want you to make sure she's safe and that no one else knows where she is."

Once everyone left for their assignments Harry sat down and mouthed a silent prayer that nothing will go wrong.

-----

Lucas was looking curiously at Ros whilst she drove silently, following the tracker signal on the GPS screen.

"What did you do?" he finally asked.

"What do you mean?" She kept her eyes on the road.

"I saw the look Harry gave you at the briefing, and obviously Ruth is more then a missing colleague to him, so what did you do?"

"Nothing you wouldn't do in the same situation, the only reason Harry is holding a grudge over it is because it's Ruth, you'd think that after three years and what we've been through he'd let it go…" She trailed off when she noticed they were a few feet away from the tracker signal, she stopped the car and they both went outside looking around them, they were in the middle of a large wheat field, and there was no one in sight.

Ros followed the tracker signal which led her to a scarecrow that stood in the middle of the field; the tracker was pinned to its chest together with a small note that read: "Sorry, you'll have to wait patiently for tomorrow, S"

"Smart girl," Ros mumbled, smiling secretly.

-----

"Anything on the Casper network?" Malcolm approached Jo's desk.

"Nothing much, I found some leads on the internet but they all ended in a dead end. I even tried looking in Zaf's old files, for this John guy, but found nothing. If Zaf knew anything about them he didn't report it. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I was doing some face matching on the photos we got from Ruth; I couldn't find anything on the first one. But this guy," Malcolm fingered one of the men in the picture, "His name is Ron Robson, he's a dead six agent, he died during an operation in China last year"

"Is it Halloween already? Too many dead people are walking about these days," Jo said, "Do you think he has anything to do with the Casper network?"

"I don't know," Malcolm sighed, "We'd better tell Harry"

"Tell me what?" Harry asked from behind them.

"This Casper network, something doesn't smell right," Malcolm explained and told Harry about the dead 6 agent just when Ros and Lucas stepped back into the Grid.

"Well, anything?" Harry turned his attention to Ros.

"Sorry Harry," she said and handed him the note, she couldn't help but feel a little smug.

Harry read the note and then crumpled it in his hands, obviously annoyed, "Well, I think you should all call it a day, we'll carry on tomorrow. Hopefully, Ruth will contact us and we'll be able to get some more information from her and Sharon. Good night," he then went to his office and set behind his desk, holding his head in his hands, trying to make sense of it all.

The loud ringing of his desk phone disrupted his thoughts, Harry looked at his watch, it was almost midnight. "Yes?' he answered impatiently.

"Hello Harry," Harry felt a chill run down his spine when he heard the voice on the other side, "I believe you have someone that I want, let me know where she is and I won't let the DG know that Ruth Evershed is alive and in London."

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**Who could that be? The answer will come quicker if you review :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks Kate, again :)**

* * *

"Oliver," Harry paused just long enough for the other man to notice the disdain in his voice, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Come come Harry, you're not going to play this game with me are you? We are both too experienced to waste time on such trivialities."

"I'm being completely honest with you, Oliver. I have no idea who this person you are talking about is, and as for Ruth Evershed," Harry always found it hard to pronounce these words, "she's been dead for three years now. Besides, even if I did know anything, I wouldn't be able to share this information with you, seeing as you are no longer a member of the security services."

"Ouch, that really hurt," Harry could hear the mockery in Mace's tone, "Fine, you want to do it the hard way, I'll play along. I want to know where the hacker Griffin is, and I believe that you have access to that information. Clear enough for you?"

"And what would you do with a hacker?"

"Do you have any idea how much some countries, and other organizations for that matter, are willing to pay to get a person with her talents?"

"That's what you stooped to Oliver? Plain old grid?

"Oh Harry, you are living proof that honesty and loyalty just don't pay off. Look at yourself – you've given your life to the service, and what have you ever got in return? For that matter I guess I owe you a favor for 'helping' me out when you did." Oliver sighed and then said, "Anyway, it's getting late, you have until tomorrow evening to get me the details of Griffin's whereabouts, I'll contact you then." He then hung up, leaving Harry with a very throbbing headache.

"Why can't anything be simple anymore?" he asked the empty room in frustration. He was just about to leave when his phone beeped with a text message.

_Kiss the rain_

_Whenever you need me_

_Kiss the rain_

_Whenever I'm gone too long_

_If your lips_

_Feel hungry and tempted_

_Kiss the rain_

_And wait for the dawn_

_Keep in mind_

_We__'re under the same sky_

_And the nights_

_As empty for me as for you_

_If you feel you can__'t wait till morning_

_Kiss the rain_

Harry smiled to himself, even though it came from a blocked number he knew who it was from, and he decided to follow her advice and wait for the morning.

--------

Two hours after arriving on the Grid Harry gathered the team for a progress report.

Jo started out with her breakthrough on the Casper network.

"As its name suggests, the Casper network is not an organization as we first thought but an underground social network, just like LinkedIn and Facebook. Unlike those two, you can't just Google it to get to its website; you have to know someone already in it to get an invitation. I finally managed to find such a person," Jo looked proud of herself as she projected the Casper website on the wall. "The thing is that you can't just search and add friends as you like to increase the size of your network, you have to get introduced by someone who knows both parties, so I haven't been able to get too deep into it just yet, but it does seem it's much bigger then just a network helping people disappear."

"Ingenious actually," Malcolm looked fascinated, "No leaders or managers, and every shoddy professional you might ever need is just a click away."

"Now, why don't you suggest that as a slogan for their website?" Harry's look made Malcolm mumble a quick apology and look shamefully at the floor.

"What about Mace?" Harry turned to Ros.

"Nothing on the surface, seems like since he quit the service he's been living off a very nice pension acting the perfect family man. Of course he's been under constant surveillance," Ros projected a few pictures on the wall; all were of Mace in a domestic environment, "but nothing suggests and dodgy dealings."

"Well, if he's got any connection to the Casper network, he could have done everything from the comfort of his own laptop without rising much suspicion," Harry turned back to the still embarrassed looking Malcolm, "What about the text message?"

"Right, "Malcolm seemed eager to redeem himself, "it tracks down to an Internet café in Oxford Street."

"Good. Great work everybody." Harry was pleased with the progress they all made, "Malcolm, I want you and Jo to go to that Café and see where it gets you. Ros, Lucas try and dig deeper into the Casper network website, use someone from the IT department if you need help, also look into Mace's internet records, I'm sure they are being kept somewhere. I'm going to use my own networks to try and get more information."

--------

The Internet Café was a giant, 2 floor hub of personal computers, filled with dodgy characters and tourists. It took a little time and some monetary persuasion of the owner to track down the exact station the message was sent from. According to the owner, the two women insisted on using that particular station. On the desktop was a single music file.

"That's weird, the software installed on these computers doesn't allow users to save files on the local file system," said the owner, who didn't care to leave Malcolm and Jo alone with his precious hardware.

"Well, why don't go and complain to whoever installed it then?" Malcolm was desperate to get rid of him.

The café owner finally took the hint, muttered a quiet protest and left.

Jo rolled her eyes in relief and double clicked the music file, "Oh, Baker Street! I love this song"

They listened to the song twice but didn't hear anything out of the ordinary. Malcolm was just about to copy it for further analysis at the Grid when he heard Jo mumbling something.

"Sorry?"

"221, the station's number," she said, pointing to the small sign above the computer, "rings a bell for some reason."

Malcolm thought for a few moments and then smiled triumphantly, "221b Baker Street, The Sherlock Holmes Museum."

-------

Malcolm was browsing through the letters children sent to Sherlock Holmes when he noticed someone standing next to him.

"Some of them are really amusing," Ruth said.

"Oh yes, especially the one starting with 'Dear Mr. Dead Sherlock Holmes'," Malcolm looked up from the folder and smiled at her, "good to see you, dear Ms. Dead Ruth Evershed"

Ruth laughed quietly, "Good to see you too Malcolm, I'd give you a hug but…"

"I know, I know, can't be too careful," Malcolm sighed.

"I owe you one then," she grinned, "Sharon is waiting for the signal outside. I want you to take her to a safe house, if you get her the right computer equipment she'll be able to get to the information we need from there."

"What about you?"

"We think it's best that I stay out of the way until you get the proof I need to get back."

"You know Harry won't like that, can't you give me something to set his mind at ease?"

"I'm sorry Malcolm; it's a big enough risk to get Sharon out in the open like this."

"Fine," Malcolm sighed.

"And no trackers this time," Ruth looked half amused, "I'm going to give Sharon the all clear, she'll be waiting for you outside."

--------

After settling down at the safe house Sharon was hard at work on the laptop Malcolm got her.

"I had a separate backup server for all my important files," she explained to Malcolm who was sitting next to her, monitoring her every move in what seemed like admiration. "Physically it was in a separate location with no network connection to my main server. I had to manually store all the files on it. One can't be too careful," Malcolm nodded in agreement, "There is a way to get to it through the Internet, but it's hidden behind a bunch of firewalls, so it will take a while to get there."

"Great," mumbled Jo who was sitting at the sofa watching the door and looking completely bored.

"I'm sure you can do it faster then anyone else," Malcolm gave Jo a reproaching look, "Take whatever time you need."

Sharon gave him a thankful smile and got back to her work.

"No! No! Shit!" Sharon's frustrated shout a few hours later woke up Jo who managed to doze off.

"What's wrong?" A worried Malcolm rushed over to her side. Sharon pointed at the blinking message on the laptop screen that simply stated: "We win!"

"That was the only file on the server, everything else was deleted," Sharon was on the brink of tears, "I don't understand, how did they find out about this server?"

"Did you look for traces of the files? Maybe they can be undeleted?" Malcolm was trying to be comforting and helpful at the same time.

"I tried that, whoever did it was very thorough," She looked up at Malcolm, "I'm so sorry."

"It's fine; it's not your fault." Malcolm turned to Jo, "We need to get back and report this to Harry. Sharon, it's best that you stay here, we'll leave someone to watch over you."

--------

Harry paced back and forth in his office, as the rest of the team watched worriedly from their stations, no one dared to come and talk to him when he was in this mood.

He had had a very bad, long day, all his connections had been very unhelpful, and however Mace was conducting his dirty dealings, he was being very discreet about it, leaving no trace of anything in his internet browsing logs. The Casper website also proved to be almost impossible to hack into, it seemed like they had a bunch of talented hackers themselves, and, on top of everything else, he heard the news from Malcolm about the missing recording file. He felt like he was going to lose Ruth, again, and was desperately looking for a way for that not to happen.

The text message he received wasn't as comforting as the one from last night, its content was a grid reference and the simple warning: "Come alone."

* * *

**Songs mentioned in this chapter: "Kiss The Rain" performed by Billie Myers, "Baker Street" performed by Gerry Rafferty.**

**There is a letter in the Sherlock Holmes Meuseum that starts with the words: "Dear Mr Dead Sherlock Holmes", so thanks to whoever wrote it for the inspiration :)**

**Last but not least - please review :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**"I'll describe the way I feel, You're my new achilles heel" Placebo**

* * *

The grid reference brought Harry to an underground car park, which by this hour was practically deserted and very dimly lit. He'd been waiting in silence for almost 20 minutes when, suddenly, a sound came from the darkness.

"OK, let's start this meeting, shell we Gentlemen? Just for the protocol I shall state we have present representatives from MI6, Special branch, Military Intelligence, the government and Cotterdam prison." There was a slight pause and then, "No MI5 representative is present. Right, to the matter at hand – extradition of seven Acts of Truth prisoners from Cotterdam prison…"

"Is this what you're so desperately looking for Harry?" Mace came out from behind one of the columns, holding an MP3 player, "You know the price."

"You managed to get the recording file on your own, I'm sure you'll be able to get what you want without my help, " Harry said, trying to remain calm.

"Oh, I'm sure I will, but won't this make it easier for both of us? I will get my hacker, you will get your true love back." There was no mistaking the scorn in Oliver's voice.

"Putting my personal affairs aside, you know that giving you Griffin will be considered as a security breach, considering what she's capable of doing."

"Will you stop being so righteous for once Harry?" Oliver spat out, "Why are you protecting this girl? You don't even know her, how do you know she hasn't been playing you all along?"

"Ruth trusts her…" Harry said, quietly.

"Oh, right, Ruth, the same person that got involved with the Casper network in the first place. I wouldn't say she's the best judge of character now, is she?"

Harry didn't respond to that, knowing there was a shred of truth in what Mace was saying. Seeing an opportunity in Harry's hesitation Oliver quickly added:

"Come on Harry, she's a hacker, not some saint. And this,"he pointed at the MP3 player, "is your chance to get a brilliant analyst back."

Harry stood in silence for a few more moments weighing out his options and then for the first, and hopefully the last, time is his career he let his personal feelings win over his professional judgment and decided to give Mace the address of the safe house Sharon was staying at.

"Thank you," Oliver smiled, triumphantly, as he called someone with the details, "now we just need to wait and see that you're not just buying time."

Fifteen minutes passed in tense silence before Mace's phone ringed and he answered, "Yes? She was? Good, thank you." He hung up and looked at Harry, "Always a pleasure doing business with you, Goodbye Harry." He then handed Harry the MP3 player and walked away.

Harry stared into the darkness for a few more minutes, thinking about what he'd just done, and hoping to God that Ruth would find it in her heart to forgive him.

_--------_

_"I told Adam not to tell you__."_

_He was walking towards her as he said, "I told him I'd give him the sack if he didn't."_

_She laughed, and he got closer to her, giving her a desperate look._

_"I don't know what I'll do without you, Ruth", he said, "What are you…?"_

_She nodded her head, silently asking him not to ask._

_He got the mes__sage and instead said, "You take good care, yes?"_

_"Yes," she promised, "and you. Don't get shot."_

_"I won't,"he laughed, although his eyes were giving her the saddest look._

_"Will you feed my cats?" she thought for a brief moment and added, "Actually, take them to your house. Will you adopt them?"_

_"Of course." He would agree to anything she asked of him right now._

_She then fell silent, looking as if she's trying to find the right words to say, she finally looked into his eyes and said, "You betrayed me Harry."_

_"Good by… what?" Her words only now registered in his brain._

_"You betrayed me," she repeated._

_"No, that's not right, that's not how it happened," Harry protested._

_"You betrayed me, and now Sharon is going to die and I'll never come back," there were now tears in her eyes, "I'm sorry Harry."_

_He was still trying to understand what was happening when Ruth climbed over the rails and jumped into the Thames._

_"NO!" he cried out, trying to catch her but being too slow._

_He closed his eyes and when he opened them he was standing at the cemetery in front of an open grave, around him stood the members of the team in silence. The priest finished his sermon and as they started lowering the coffin into the grave he could hear silent shouts from inside of it._

_"Wait, stop!" he cried out, but everyone around him ignored him._

_The shouts from the coffin became louder and were now accompanied by frantic knocks._

_"Harry, please! Open up! Harry!"_

---------

Harry woke up drenched in cold sweat, he was still trying to clear his head from the nightmare when he noticed that the frantic knocks hadn't stopped and that they were, in fact, coming from his front door.

"Harry! Please open the door!" He now recognized Sharon's voice.

He quickly got out of bed, put on a shirt and trousers and ran downstairs.

He opened his front door and saw a tearful Sharon standing there, "I'm so sorry Harry," she whispered.

"What…?" He didn't get to finish the question when Sharon was pushed inside by the barrel of the gun that was pushed at her back.

"Harry, you old fool," Mace drawled in greeting as he followed her in and closed the door behind them." Did you really think I was going to leave quietly without getting my revenge? I had a career, I had respect and I had power before you had to stick your nose in and ruin it all. For God's sake Harry, I still have a very nasty scar on my arm."

Mace pushed Sharon and made a gesture with the gun to indicate that she should stand beside Harry. When he was standing in front of both of then he continued:

"I confess, I managed to find my niche at the Casper network, using my knowledge to pass valuable information around to the highest bidder, when I first found out about Griffin all I wanted was to get my hands on her, imagine my surprise when I discovered that Ruth Evershed was part of the network. Finally luck was on my side"

"Oliver, please, stop this. I can still help you if you turn yourself in now," Harry pleaded.

"Help me?" Oliver laughed bitterly, "I'm not the one looking down the barrel of a gun Harry. Now, will you please come outside? Quitely."

"Where are you taking us?" Sharon asked.

Oliver didn't respond, he opened the door and gestured for the both of them to step out.

Harry put a reassuring hand on Sharon's shoulder and motioned her to do as they were told.

Once outside they were led to a black car, Oliver opened the back door and ordered them to get in, getting in after them.

"Let's go," he ordered to the man behind the wheel.

A few minutes after they drove off Harry spoke, "Oliver, you know you won't get away with this."

"Oh I won't? Why not? We're not in some movie where the good guy always wins Harry, this is real life, there is no good or bad, just who has the better plan." He then pushed the gun into Harry's ribs as if to make a point.

Harry grimaced at the sharp pain the gesture caused, "Ol…"

"I'm sorry Harry, I don't feel like talking anymore." Mace then opened a small box and took out a syringe, "and in all honesty I don't trust you to behave, don't worry it's not going to hurt."

Harry didn't have time to respond before Oliver pushed the syringe into his arm.

"What did you do?" Harry managed to ask before everything around him started to spin. He took a deep breath and tried to resist the affect of whatever he was given. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the song that was playing on the car radio:

_Lighting up a smoke_

_I've got this feeling inside me_

_Don't feel too good_

_If I close my eyes_

_And fell asleep in this __lay by_

_Would it all __subside?_

_The fever pushing the day by_

"How fitting," Harry thought as he struggled the drowsiness he now felt.

_Motor window wind_

_I could do with some fresh air_

_Can't breathe too well_

_(She waits for me. Home waits for me.)_

_I guess I should go now_

_She's waiting to make up_

_To tell me she's sorry_

_And how much she missed me_

_I guess I'm just burnt out_

_I really should slow down_

_I'm perfectly fine but_

_I just need to lie down_

The last thing Harry heard was "We'll grow old together" before everything turned black.

* * *

**TBC...**

**Some credits: The song on the radio is "Heartattack in a Lay By" by Porcupine Tree, and of course I'm using quotes from 5.5**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks Kate :)**

_

* * *

_

_The Grid, 5 hours earlier._

Harry didn't stop on his way to the pods as he barked out his orders: "Malcolm, I need you to dig deeper into Mace and the Casper Network, find me something! Jo, find Ruth!"

"Harry, Where…?" Malcolm didn't get to finish his sentence before Harry was inside the pods and out of earshot.

"Right," Ros said a few seconds later as she got up and took her coat.

"And where are you going?" Malcolm asked anxiously.

"After him of course," she pointed at the pods.

"You're going to follow Harry? Are you mad?"

"Look, "Ros sighed, "We've been in this scenario before, Ruth turns Harry into a sentimental love struck fool, he needs us to look after him."

Malcolm shook his head and kept silent.

"Lucas, I need you to go and watch over Sharon, call me if anything happens."Ros then turned to Jo and Malcolm, "You two do as Harry said." She then left the grid, Lucas leaving right after her.

Malcolm and Jo stared at each other for a few moments until Jo's phone broke the silence with its loud ringing.

"Yes?" Jo answered, "Really? That's great! Can you text me the address? Thank you so much"

"What was that about?" Malcolm asked as Jo put down the receiver.

"I've found Ruth." She smiled proudly at him.

"What? How?" Malcolm jumped out of his chair and ran to Jo's station.

"We've been lucky, after she left the Sherlock Holmes museum she took one of our Spook cabs, it was the driver on the phone."

"Fallen into her own trap, oh the irony," Malcolm smiled.

"Sorry?" Jo gave him a puzzled look

"Oh, never mind. What are you waiting for? Go and get her!"

---------

Ruth was sitting on the sofa in her hotel room reading a book when someone knocked on the door. She silently closed the book and looked up; hoping that whoever it was would think she was out of the room and leave.

"Ruth "a whisper came from the other side of the door, "it's me, Jo, open up."

Ruth let out a breath, ran to the door, opened it and pulled Jo inside, shutting the door quickly behind her.

"What are you doing here? How did you find me?"

"No time to explain, I need you to come with me back to the grid."

"To the grid? How am I supposed to pass through security?"

Jo smiled and pulled out a blond wig from her bag, "We're going to sneak you in."

"No, sorry, it's too dangerous, I can't do it," Ruth shook her head in protest.

"Please Ruth; we really need your skills in this one. Harry needs you"

"Harry? What happened?"

"I'll explain on the way, now can you please come?" Jo pleaded.

"Fine," Ruth sighed, taking the wig from Jo.

---------

Ros was sitting in her car, watching the building Harry went into 30 minutes earlier when her cell phone vibrated.

"Lucas?" she answered.

"Someone just arrived at the safe house," Lucas whispered on the other side, "They already took down the guard we left there."

"Let them take her," Ros ordered.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, let them take her and stay on their tracks, they might lead us to Mace"

"Right, fine" Lucas ended the conversation.

Ros turned her attention back to the building, a few minutes passed before she saw Harry's car leaving the underground car park, she then turned on her own car's engine and, leaving the lights off, drove after Harry.

---------

"Keep your head down," Jo whispered in Ruth's ear as she pushed her through the entrance to Thames house, "Don't want any CCTV footage of your face."

"Foreign delegate, "Jo smiled at the security guard at the entrance, "She's with me."

The guard took a brief look at the documents Jo had presented and nodded for them to go on.

They then proceeded through the pods and entered the grid. Ruth stopped and surveyed the familiar surroundings; it felt weird being there after so long but it also felt somewhat right. She felt a small pinch in her heart as she looked at Adam's and Zaf's workstations and it missed a bit when her gaze fell on Harry's empty office, old memories of their conversations there resurfaced and she desperately wanted him to be there now.

"Ruth! Can I get my hug now?" Malcolm smiled as he approached the two women.

"Of course," Ruth smiled and hugged him warmly.

"I rigged the CCTV cameras inside the grid," Malcolm pointed at the overhead camera when they parted, "as far as they are concerned everyone left for the night an hour ago."

"Have you heard anything from Ros and Lucas?" Jo asked as Malcolm led them to his workstation.

"Not yet, Ros is outside Harry's house and Lucas is following Sharon and her abductors. I'm sorry Ruth, I'm sure Lucas won't let anything happen to her," Malcolm added when he saw Ruth's miserable expression.

"Right, "Ruth mumbled and then tried to put on a more optimistic expression, "I'll try and help you with whatever I know about the Casper network. It's not much though. Where can I work from?"

"Well, as it happens, your old workstation just became available a while ago," Malcolm said sarcastically, "Let me log you in"

As Malcolm led Ruth to her station she couldn't help the strong feeling of déjà vu, it was hard not to think that the last three years were just a bad dream and that she never really left the grid. She was drawn back to reality as she started to work, looking for connections between Mace and the Casper Network.

----------

Ros was focused on the events that unfolded outside of Harry's house, so when Lucas opened the car door and sat beside her she literally jumped in her seat.

"Jesus Lucas," she gave him a reprimanding look, to which he replied with an amused smile.

"You better call Malcolm," he said as they watched Harry and Sharon being guided into the black car.

Ros nodded and dialed Malcolm's number, "Malcolm, Mace got Harry; we're following them so keep an eye on our signal. Now would be a great time to find the connection between Mace and Casper."

She hung up and started following the black car.

-----------

Malcolm cautiously approached Ruth who seemed to be absorbed in her work, he decided not to tell her about Harry just yet, and instead asked, "Any findings?"

"I think so, I first tried to trace the network from myself," She pointed at a sketch she made, "that didn't get me too far since my only connection was John, but I also know that Sharon was connected to John because he brought her to me and that she must have also had some connection to Mace's people, so now I'm trying to trace back her network. Honestly I could use her hacking skills right now."

"I'm still worth something you know!" Malcolm seemed a bit offended by Ruth's last remark, "I actually managed to get into their website, but I needed some kind of lead to trace back from. I think that Sharon's network might do the trick…" He then trailed off as he sat next to Ruth and started typing.

"Eureka!" He exclaimed a few moments later and pointed at the diagram on the screen, showing an almost direct connection between Sharon's user and a user called OM.

"I have found several indications that show that this OM user belongs to Mace, "he added, "I think we got him!"

At that exact moment Malcolm received a text message from Ros telling him they had stopped. Malcolm looked at Ruth and said: "I'm sorry I didn't say anything earlier, but Mace got Harry. Ros and Lucas are there, we need to get them this information"

Ruth immediately stood up, but Malcolm gently stopped her, "I think it's best to let Jo go, you're not a field officer."

"No," Ruth protested, "I need to be there and help him."

"It's ok Malcolm, I'll make sure she gets back safely," Jo said.

Malcolm sighed and said, "Fine, but you get to face Harry if anything happens to her."

-----------

Ros and Lucas were standing a few feet away from a small warehouse when Ruth and Jo reached them. Ruth silently acknowledged the two officers, trying not to betray her feelings at the sight of Ros.

"They went in ten minutes ago," Ros whispered, "I think Harry was sedated, he was practically carried in."

Ruth cringed as she imagined that scene; she started asking what the plan was when someone from behind them said: "Well, I should have known that Harry's disciples wouldn't be too far behind."

* * *

**Next chapter - the final showdown **


	8. Chapter 8

**This is is, the final chapter of my very first fic :)**

* * *

Ruth's scream was stifled by the hand on her mouth as she was dragged down and pushed to the ground. She looked to her left and saw that her assailant was Ros, who now motioned her to stay quiet and pointed at Mace who was facing Jo and Lucas. Apparently, it was dark enough for him not to notice the two women.

"I'm glad you decided to join the party," Oliver laughed as he waved his gun at the two remaining operatives, "Now if you wouldn't mind handing all you weapons to my friend Ron here and following me."

Ruth watched in silence as the two Spooks handed their guns and were led into the warehouse.

"Now what?" she whispered to Ros.

"We call special forces, oh wait, we can't," Ros answered sarcastically; "We're not even supposed to be here."

"Well, maybe we can…"

"We?" Ros eyed Ruth patronizingly, "Did you get any field training while you were away?"

"well, no, but…" Ruth stammered and then put up a more decisive face, "Look, I'm competent enough to do whatever is necessary. I think I proved that enough in the past."

"Fine," Ros sighed, "It's your funeral."

"Yes it was," Ruth mumbled.

Ros pretended not to hear the last comment as she pointed towards the warehouse. "That door is the only way in, there are no windows and we don't know how many men Mace has in there, any ideas?"

"Well, so far we only saw two men other then Mace, so maybe we can assume that's all he got?" Ruth said hopefully.

"Maybe. Wait here, I'll try and draw someone out of there."

Ruth didn't get the chance to protest as Ros ran into the darkness towards the warehouse.

--------

Harry slowly opened his eyes and winced as the strong artificial light hit him. He tried to move his hands to shield his eyes only to find they were tied behind his back. He now also noticed that he was sitting on a hard concrete floor, his back to the wall. A quiet moan to his right indicated that Sharon was sitting next to him and was probably also sedated.

"Where…" Harry tried to ask.

"Never mind that," Mace snapped, "I just want you to see that your loyal team tried to save you and failed"

Harry slowly looked up just as Jo and Lucas were pushed to the floor to sit beside him. Lucas gave him an apologetic shrug and then winked, secretly mouthing something that looked like "Ros". Harry nodded and looked up at Mace.

"Now, you, "Oliver addressed Sharon, "Where's Ruth Evershed?"

"Who?" Sharon asked quietly.

Oliver stepped closer to Sharon, towering over her and said, "Listen girl, you're not in a position to play games with me, where is she?"

"I don't know, we got separated when I moved to the safe house, I…" Sharon winced as she saw Mace raising his hand to hit her.

"Leave her alone," Harry shouted, "She's telling the truth."

Mace lowered his hand and smiled as he turned towards Harry, "How chival…"

The sound of gunshot from outside made him stop in his tracks.

"Want me to check this out sir?" One of the men asked.

"Yes please," Oliver hissed.

-------

Ruth jumped when she heard the gunshot, but didn't dare move from her place. She saw the man called Ron stepping cautiously out form the warehouse and looking around. He slowly walked to the right of the door, holding his gun in both hands. He had hardly managed a couple of steps when Ros' silhouette appeared behind him and she hit him with the barrel of her gun. Ruth couldn't help but enjoy the moment as the man toppled down.

Ruth stood up and ran towards Ros when she saw her gesturing her to come over.

"I need some help here," Ros whispered when Ruth arrived at her side.

"Right," Ruth pulled a face when Ros gestured towards the big man at her feet.

The two women dragged the half conscious man away from the warehouse. When Ros decided they were far enough she laid him on the ground, knelt beside him and whispered softly in his ear, "Wake up sleeping beauty".

The man mumbled something incoherent as he slowly regained consciousness. His eyes shot open in surprise when he noticed Ros beside him.

"Hi," Ros smiled at him sweetly, "I'm sorry but I don't have time for introductions, I need to know how many men you have in there."

"Two hundred," Ron smirked.

"Right," Ros pulled out her gun and pushed it into Ron's ribs, "I know that Six agents are not that good at maths, but would you like to count again?"

"Fine, fine, "Ron said quietly, "It's only Mace in there."

"Are you sure?" Ros probed the gun into the man's ribs, "We know there were two of you besides Mace."

"Yes I'm sure, the other guy is the driver, he's waiting in the car."

"Right," Ruth said and, before Ros could decide if she believed the man, she snatched his gun and ran towards the warehouse.

"Ruth! Wait! I don't think…", she whispered after her, but Ruth was already out of earshot and walking into the warehouse.

"Shit," Ros mumbled, "Bloody woman!" She looked down at Ron and, after moment of contemplation, knocked him down again with the barrel of her gun, "Don't go anywhere," she told him and ran towards the warehouse.

-------

Oliver paced back and forth in front of his captives waiting for his man to return, Harry stared at him silently while trying to asses the situation; Jo was sitting next to Sharon, giving her comforting looks and Lucas was staring intently at the door, apparently convinced that Ros would step in any minute.

None of them expected Ruth to be the one barging into the warehouse with a gun in her hand; she'd taken a few steps into the large room and pointed the gun shakily at Oliver.

"Don't move," her voice was surprisingly quite and calm, "Don't you bloody dare move."

"Ruth…" Harry started as a third man stepped behind Ruth with his gun barrel pointing to her head.

"Well, well, aren't we in a predicament," Oliver laughed nervously.

"Bloody liar," Ruth hissed, "I will shoot you Mace, Even if it's the last thing I'll do."

"Ruth, don't, please," Harry begged, pulling desperately at the bindings around his hands.

"It's fine, Harry," Ruth said, not removing her eyes from Mace, "I don't care anymore, I just want him to pay."

"Well, shoot me then, "Oliver said calmly, "If you've got the nerve".

Ruth looked over to Harry, "I'm sorry," she whispered, as she closed her eyes for a minute preparing herself for the worst when a loud gunshot echoed through the room.

Ruth gave a sigh of relief when she felt the man behind her slip to the floor, she didn't have to look back to know that Ros was standing there. She then smiled triumphantly at Mace.

"You, you're not really going to kill me, are you?" He stuttered.

"You're right, I'm not," she said calmly, "I'm going to let you go, but I must warn you that going back to your house won't be a wise thing, I'm guessing that Malcolm have shown the evidence we found to the DG by now"

"Where am I supposed to go then?"

"Don't know, don't care, as long as you don't show your face in London ever again. Now go, before I change my mind" Ruth shook her gun as if to emphasize the point.

Mace hesitated for another second before running out of the warehouse.

Ruth sighed heavily, let the gun drop on the floor and ran to Harry.

"I'm so sorry Ruth, "he mumbled, as she struggled to release his bindings, while Ros did the same for the other captives.

"Don't harry," she whispered gently, "There will be time for that later."

_------_

_The Grid, couple of hours later_

Malcolm was laughing heartily at something Sharon showed him on the computer screen when Harry Approached them.

"Finished with the debrief I see?" he asked warmly.

"Yes, Sharon was very helpful with tying up all the loose ends regarding the Casper network," Malcolm answered.

"I know what you're trying to do Malcolm, and I already talked to Sharon, it's really up to her now."

Malcolm looked hopefully at Sharon and then said, "Promise you'll think about it? I could really use your talents around here"

"I will, I promise," Sharon smiled.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have another matter to take care of," Harry said as he noticed Ruth was sitting on the sofa at his office.

He quietly opened the door and said "Hey" as he walked in.

"Hey." She looked up at him and smiled, "Why are you still here? You must be exhausted."

"I wanted to make sure everything is alright before I go home," he said as he closed the door behind him, and then added, "I wanted to make sure you're alright."

"Well, I'm…" she hesitated for a second, finding it hard to find the right adjective, "overwhelmed"

He set next to her on the sofa and said gently, "This is what you wanted isn't it? Your name is cleared, your old job is yours if you want it, I'm…"

"Harry," she looked up at him taking his hands in hers, "don't say it, not yet, I need some time to get used to everything again, to get used to you again."

"You're right, I'll give you all the time you need," he smiled and tried to sound casual as he added, "Where are you going to stay?"

"Malcolm arranged a safe house for me until I find somewhere more permanent."

"Oh," he couldn't explain the disappointment he felt at the fact that she already had somewhere to sleep, "will you at least let me take you there?"

"Of course," she gently squeezed his hands as she stood up.

He got up and followed her outside of the Grid, ignoring the curious looks from their colleagues.

They sat quietly in the car, enjoying each other's company; the song playing on the radio seemed to describe their feelings better than either of them could:

_Stars when you shine_

_You know how I feel_

_Scent of the pine_

_You know how I feel_

_Yeah freedom is mine_

_And I know how I feel_

_It's a new dawn_

_It's a new day_

_It's a new life_

_For me_

_And I'm feeling good_

And she did.

* * *

**The End**

**The song in the end is "Feeling good" originally performed by Nina Simone, but I actually had the Muse version in mind when writing this.**

**Loads of thanks to Kate for doing the betas for this story and also for all the encouragement and advice.**

**I do have more fic ideas in my head, your reviews will encourage me to write them sometime soon :)**


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